Antecedents of classroom teachers’ intention to use distance education environments: A structural equation modeling approach

Abstract

Distance education’s importance has recently been understood more compared to the period prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers’ intentional use of distance education environments is considered effective in taking advantage of the distance education medium. In order to benefit from classroom teachers’ experiences during the pandemic when aiming to incorporate distance education’s advantages into formal K-12 education, factors regarding teachers’ behavioral intention to use distance education environments were investigated in this study within the framework of the technology acceptance model. The study aimed to assess classroom teachers’ self-efficacy, perceived benefit, attitude toward the use of distance education environments, as well as each of these variables’ influence on teachers’ intention to use distance education environments. Data were collected from 370 classroom teachers through a self-reporting scale. Structural equation modeling approach was then used to test the measure and structure models, with descriptive statistics applied to assess teachers’ levels for the constructs. The results indicated that classroom teachers’ self-efficacy, perceived benefit, and attitudes towards the use of distance education environments significantly influence teachers’ behavioral intention to use distance education environments. Both researchers and educational policymakers should consider these significant predictors to promote classroom teachers’ intentional use of distance education environments in their future classrooms.